GLENDALE, Ariz. – Connor McDavid scored twice to eclipse 200 career goals and had an assist, Zach Hyman had two goals and the Edmonton Oilers remained undefeated with a 5-1 victory over the winless Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.

The Oilers were sharp in their first regular-season in the U.S. since March 5, 2020, due to the pandemic, scoring at least five goals for the third straight game.

McDavid scored in the second period to hit the 200-goal mark – two days after teammate Leon Draisaitl reached the milestone – and scored his sixth goal in four games in the third. He has multiple points in every game this season and 11 overall.

Mikko Koskinen had 25 saves in his first start since Mike Smith went on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Warren Foegele also scored for Edmonton.

Dysin Mayo scored in his NHL debut and Karel Vejmelka stopped 26 shots for the 0-3-1 Coyotes. They allowed at least five goals for the third time this season.

The Coyotes were good in their own end early after first-year coach Alex Tourigny switched up his defensive pairings against Edmonton.

EDMONTON – Alberta reported 770 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday as pressure on the health care system starts to ease.

According to Alberta Health, the provincial positivity rate is approximately 6.5 per cent, after about 11,800 tests were completed. There are currently 10,434 active cases of COVID-19.

There 912 Albertans in hospital receiving treatment for COVID-19, including 201 in ICUs.

“We continue to see these numbers declining, but it’s important to remember that this takes time and this trend could reverse quickly if we are not careful,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

Hinshaw said the majority of Albertans who end up in hospital, need to be admitted to the ICU, or die from the disease continue to be unvaccinated.

Across the province, there are active alerts or outbreaks at 288 schools. Hinshaw said that at four of those schools, there were more than 10 cases of COVID-19 reported after individuals with COVID-19 while infectious attended.

Eight more deaths were reported Thursday, raising the provincial total to 3,014. The deaths ranged in age from people in their 30s to over 80.

More than 6.4 million vaccine doses have been administered as of Wednesday.

SOME SURGERIES TO RESUME

Alberta Health Services is gradually beginning to stand down some surge ICU spaces and restart non-COVID-related surgeries and procedures.

According to the provincial health authority, twenty-six surge ICU spaces will be taken out of service and staff responsible for them will be redeployed to allow for the resumption of medical procedures.

In a statement to CTV News, Alberta Health Services (AHS) said it continues to do all it can to ensure there is enough ICU capacity.

“With pressure easing slightly on our ICUs, we are reducing the available surge beds so that we can redeploy staff back to caring for non-COVID patients who need surgeries and procedures completed,” said Kerry Williamson, AHS spokesperson.

“We will ensure that we maintain ICU capacity above daily demand to a planned maximum of 380 beds as long as staff and physician availability allows,” Williamson added. “(We) will readjust our plans as needed if COVID cases rise again.”

As of 1:45 p.m. Thursday, AHS said there was a total of 350 adult ICU beds, including 177 additional surge spaces. Of those, 81 per cent, or 238 are occupied.

The Edmonton zone, with the most ICU beds and surge spaces in the province, is operating at 90 per cent of current ICU capacity levels.

The Central zone is at 83 per cent, while the South zone is at 75 per cent. The North and Calgary zones are operating at 79 and 73 per cent, respectively.

HINSHAW TO HOST TOWN HALL ABOUT VACCINE SAFETY

The chief medical officer of health said despite misinformation circulating on social media, no medical studies have shown the vaccines impact the fertility of men or women.

“There is no evidence suggesting that these vaccines impact fertility in any way,” Hinshaw said.

Additionally, Hinshaw urged those who are pregnant or nursing to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

For those who are pregnant, Hinshaw said that the variants of concern have increased the risk of severe outcomes.

“Vaccine safety is a critical issue in pregnancy and data from thousands of pregnant women who have received vaccines has not shown any increased risk in pregnancy.”

Hinshaw said that many Albertans still have questions about vaccine safety. To help answer those, the province will host a telephone town hall where the top doctor will be joined by other physicians.

The registration link to attend the free event will be shared on Hinshaw’s social media profiles.

“It’s free for anyone who wants to call in and ask a question about this issue.”

‘STRONG’ THIRD DOSE UPTAKE  

The top doctor in Alberta said that more than 231,000 third booster doses of vaccine had been administered to date.

“It’s been wonderful to see a strong uptake from Albertans eligible for third doses over the last few weeks,” she said.

Currently, seniors aged 75 years or older; First Nations, Metis, or Inuit individuals aged 65 years or older; and those with severely immunocompromising conditions are eligible to receive a booster dose.

Boosters can be administered six months after receiving a second dose, except for those who are immunocompromised who can receive their third shot after eight weeks from getting their second dose.

“The third dose is a booster to strengthen and prolong the protection from the primary series of two doses,” Hinshaw explained.

“While we offer boosters to these groups, we also know there are still people who don’t have the protection that the first and second doses of the vaccine offer,” she added. 

Canada has cracked the top 50 in the FIFA world rankings, climbing three places to No. 48 in the latest numbers.

The Canadian men started the year at No. 72 but have steadily risen thanks to a 11-2-4 record in 2021 that has seen John Herdman’s team make the final round of World Cup qualifying in CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Canada’s lone losses have been to the U.S. and Mexico at the Gold Cup. The Canadians have outscored their opposition 52-10 the year.

Canada registered World Cup qualifying ties in Mexico (1-1) and Jamaica (0-0) and defeated visiting Panama 4-1 during the time frame covering the new rankings. FIFA says 160 matches were played over that time.

The Canadians remains fourth in CONCACAF, behind No. 9 Mexico, the 13th-ranked Americans and No. 45 Costa Rica, which dropped one rung.

Being in the top 50 has tangible benefits, especially for players looking to earn a contract in the United Kingdom. Since Brexit, the U.K. has adopted a points-based system for work permits. Cracking the top 50 should help Canadian players get a visa.

Canada’s best ranking was No. 40 in December 1996. But the new rankings mark the first time the Canadians have broken into the top 50 since FIFA revamped its rating formula in 2018.

Canada hosts Costa Rica and Mexico in Edmonton when World Cup qualifying resumes next month.

Belgium remains atop the rankings with Brazil at No. 2. France and Italy move up one spot to No. 3 and 4, respectively, while England falls two places to No. 5. Argentina is unchanged at No. 6, followed by Spain (up one), Portugal (down one), Mexico and Denmark.

Germany rose two places to No. 12, leapfrogging the U.S. Uruguay, down three rungs to No. 15, lost the most ground among top-20 teams.

New Zealand (No. 111, up 10) and Indonesia (No. 165, up 10) were the biggest movers of the month. Northern Ireland was the biggest loser (No. 58, down 11).

In February 2002, Canada jumped 19 places to No. 73 in the rankings, courtesy of a third-place finish at the Gold Cup. At the time, it marked Canada’s quickest climb up the world soccer ladder since winning the 2000 Gold Cup, when it rose 24 spots to 61st overall.

In June 2007, Canada climbed 38 places from No. 94 to No. 56 as it progressed to the Gold Cup semifinals. It reached No. 52 the following month.

Canada’s lowest-ever ranking was 122nd, which it dubiously reached in both August and October 2014.

The Canadian women, gold medallists at the recent Tokyo Olympics, are currently ranked sixth by FIFA.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2021

EDMONTON – Stantec Inc. has signed a deal to buy Cardno Ltd.’s North American and Asia Pacific engineering and consulting business for US$500 million.

The Edmonton-based company says the deal helps grow its environmental services business.

Cardno’s Latin American operations and international development business are not included in the deal.

The acquisition will add about 2,750 professionals to Stantec, nearly doubling its position in Australia to 2,500 employees and increasing its presence in the United States.

Stantec CEO Gord Johnston says the company has worked closely with Cardno for many years.

He says Cardno’s key strengths in ecosystem restoration, health sciences, infrastructure, water, and government services are complementary to his company’s own offerings in the United States and Australia.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2021.

EDMONTON – A 4.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded in central Alberta Wednesday night.

At approximately 9:23 p.m., Earthquakes Canada reported a 4.1 magnitude earthquake 37 kilometres north of Rocky Mountain House.

People as far north as Edmonton and as far south as Calgary reported feeling “weak shaking” on the Earthquake Canada website’s scale of intensity.

According to the website it has received no reports of damage at this time.

Rocky Mountain House is approximately 139 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.